Books published by Nick Hern Books

A fascinating, witty and characteristically exuberant dramatic exploration of the Shakespeare authorship debate. Is it possible that the son of an illiterate tradesman, from a small market town in Warwickshire, could have written the greatest dramatic works the world has ever seen? It's a question that has puzzled scholars, theatre practitioners and theatregoers for many years. The philosopher, Francis Bacon; the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere; and Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke: all of them have been put forward as the real author of the plays. But why would they hide behind an anonymous actor? Who was the real Bard of Stratford? Why should we care? Mark Rylance is one of a number of leading actors who seriously question the idea that William Shakespeare was the man behind the thirty-seven plays that have moved, inspired and amazed generations. First performed at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007, Rylance's provocative play introduces us to four candidates and their respective claims - whilst asking fundamental questions about what makes a genius, and why it all matters anyway. 'Witty, gloriously funny and wonderfully well-written... the best thing I have seen for years' The Stage

A treasure trove of advice, support and encouragement that no performer should be without. Honest, witty and direct, The Golden Rules of Acting is every actor’s best friend – in handy paperback form. ‘When auditioning, rehearsing or in a performance, take a risk – the worst that can happen is that you get embarrassed. You won’t die.' Easy to dip into, fully illustrated throughout, and designed to be both instructive and empowering, The Golden Rules of Acting won’t tell you how to act – but it will tell you how to be an actor. ‘Always remember, the people auditioning you want you to be brilliant. They want you to solve their casting problem.' If you’re a working actor, drama-school student, someone who wants to become an actor, or simply someone who has a dream and wants to make it a reality, this book is for you. ‘NEVER harmonise when singing ‘Happy Birthday’ – this has nothing to do with work, it’s just all actors do it & it’s bloody annoying.’ 'Christians have the Bible, now actors have this book. At last, everyone is happy.' (Simon Pegg)

Tensions rise between father and adopted daughter in this scathing, dark thriller from the author of the acclaimed Mogadishu.

Three hard-hitting, distinctive monologues for young female actors, from one of the country's most exciting young playwrights.

A new documentary drama from the author of the acclaimed musical London Road.

A practical, hands-on guide - for actors, directors, teachers and students - to Brecht's history and practice of theatre. The Complete Brecht Toolkit examines, one by one, Brecht's many, sometimes contradictory ideas about theatre - and how he put them into practice. Here are explanations of all the famous key terms, such as Alienation Effect, Epic Theatre and Gestus, as well as many others which go to make up what we think of as 'Brechtian theatre'. There follows a section which looks at the practical application of these theories in Acting, Language, Music, Design and Direction. And finally, the book offers fifty exercises for student actors to investigate Brecht's ideas for themselves, becoming thoroughly familiar with the tools in the Brecht toolkit.

A gritty urban drama about race, brotherhood and the weight of past mistakes.

From a forested Polish village to the blinding lights of London, A Time to Reap looks at one woman's story against the mountain landscape of an evolving nation and one of Poland's hottest political topics - abortion and the Catholic Church.

A gripping drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

A deeply moving meditation on love, loss and grief.

A chilling play set in a Kafkaesque world where nothing is quite as it seems, and where office politics can lead to unlawful questioning, torture and even murder...

A 'fast-forward' acting course covering all the essential techniques an actor needs to know and use - with a suite of exercises to put each technique into practice. The Acting Book offers various ways to analyse a text and to create character, using not only the established processes of Stanislavsky and Meisner, but also new ones developed by the author over many years of teaching drama students. It also sets out a wide range of rehearsal techniques and improvisations, and it brims over with inventive practical exercises designed to stimulate the actor's imagination and build confidence. The book will be invaluable to student actors as an accompaniment to their training, to established actors who wish to refresh their technique, and to drama teachers at every level. 'A fine source of ideas and information for drama teachers - a potted acting course, with plenty of practical exercises.' Teaching Drama

Eugene O'Neill's epic Pulitzer Prize-winning play about love and forgiveness charts one woman's longing to forget the dark secrets of her past and hope for salvation.

Set in northern Nigeria against a backdrop of global turmoil and corruption, Lydia Adetunji's Fixer is a fast-paced drama that asks questions about integrity, loyalty and the price of human life.

A tender and heartfelt debut play that asks whether it's ever too late to start all over again.

Features a play that freeze-frames a generation negotiating intimacy and distance in the 21st century.

A new play by Helen Edmundson, with songs by Neil Hannon, based on Arthur Ransome's much-loved children's classic. Now a major new musical in London's West End.

Four full-length plays and two previously unpublished shorts from the multi-award-winning author of Jerusalem. Jez Butterworth burst onto the theatre scene aged twenty-five with Mojo, 'one of the most dazzling Royal Court main stage debuts in years' (Time Out). This first volume of his Collected Plays contains that play plus the three that followed, as well as two short one-person pieces published here for the first time - everything in fact that precedes Jerusalem, 'unarguably one of the best dramas of the twenty-first century' (Guardian). Plays One includes: Mojo, The Night Heron, The Winterling, Leavings (previously unpublished), Parlour Song and The Naked Eye (previously unpublished). Introducing the plays is an interview with Jez Butterworth specially conducted for this volume. 'The verbal menace of Harold Pinter [combined with] the physical violence of Quentin Tarantino' The Times on Mojo 'It's funny, it's sad, it's haunting and it is also strangely beautiful. Best of all, it is quite unlike anything you have seen before' Telegraph on The Night Heron 'Dazzling' Guardian on The Winterling 'Wickedly funny' Financial Times on Parlour Song

Behind the shiny door of Hazel Robinson's London home, things aren't as good as they look. Her plastic surgeon husband, Richard, has embarked on his latest charitable mission to Haiti, leaving the heavily pregnant Hazel to cope with a failing business and a problem son. This psychological drama is about the darker side of modern parenthood.

An irresistibly funny and tender play about big dreams and small changes. Amid the dreaming, the dramas and the dirty dishes, something has to give. But will it be Kath or the kitchen sink? Things aren't going to plan for one family in Withernsea, Yorkshire. Pieces are falling off Martin's milk float as quickly as he's losing customers and something's up with Kath's kitchen sink. Billy is pinning his hopes of a place at art college on a revealing portrait of Dolly Parton, whilst Sophie's dreams of becoming a ju-jitsu teacher might be disappearing down the plughole. This volume also includes the monologue Spacewang. 'This is one of the best new plays I have seen anywhere this year, and I cannot recommend it too highly.' Charles Spencer, Telegraph 'Wells wrings more riches out of seemingly throwaway lines than a lot of writers manage in an entire play' Evening Standard

Lucy Gough brings Emily Bronte's gothic tale of tortured love to the stage in all its turbulent, passionate glory. Wuthering Heights embodies the eternal pull between good and evil, dark and light, and heaven and hell.